Zimbardo’s ‘Study of Learning

Zimbardo's suggested that sensory overload, altered states of consciousness, level of arousal and reduction of responsibility could equally increase the likelihood of antisocial behaviour. His ‘study of learning’ showed dramatically the effect of reduced inhibitions Deindividuation

Zimbardo’s study of learning 1969 He used female participants and paired them with a stooge. The stooge played the role of student and the female participants played the role of teacher The ‘student’ had to complete a set of tasks and electric shocks were given by the teacher (stooge student) if they didn’t complete the tasks correctly Zimbardo’s study of learning 1969

Two conditions The participants were split into half Condition 1: deindividuated - large lab coats, hoods (covering their faces), were talked to in groups of 4, and never referred to by name Condition 2: not deindividuated – wore normal clothes, given nametags and introduced to each other formally All participants could see the ‘students’ and they were also given a description of the student. They were either told that the participant was ‘honest’ or ‘conceited and critical’ Two conditions

Results Who administered the most shocks? The deindividuated group! The participants with large name tags tended to give different amounts of shocks depending on the description of the student they had been given. For example, if they were told they were conceited and critical they would administer more shocks. Results